The present invention relates to an appratus for treating solid surfaces, and more particularly to a surface treatment apparatus which is capable of realizing a process adapted to the manufacture of semiconductor elements giving neither damage nor contamination, and maintaining high selectivity at low-temperature conditions.
Conventional dry processes for the manufacture of semiconductor elements employ an ion beam or a plasma (Edited by Takuo Sugano; "Application of Plasma Processes to VLSI Technology", JOHN WILEY and SONS, 1985, pp. 1-3). According to such processes, however, ions, atoms, molecules and electrons of large kinetic energy (greater than about 100 eV) fall on an element to be treated, on the surface of a substrate, or on the solid surface near the element, such as on the inner wall of a vacuum chamber or on the surface of a substrate stage, causing the surface of the element to be damaged and contaminated unavoidably.
Moreover, particles having high energy that fall on the substrate causes its temperature to rise. Damage, contamination and temperature rise of the elements become serious problems as the semiconductor elements are produced in small sizes (1 .mu.m or smaller). Such problems of damage, contamination and temperature rise will be serious in the semiconductor elements of the three-dimensional structure that are expected to be realized in the near future, and the conventional dry processes can no longer be put into practice.